


Coldharbour Bound

by OceanFreezie



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Brotherhood (Elder Scrolls) - Freeform, Elder Scrolls Online Main Quest, Families of Choice, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29609115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanFreezie/pseuds/OceanFreezie
Summary: Life in the Dark Brotherhood was fine, the jobs were good and Tiny-One had her family. A new job sends Tiny-One somewhere she never thought she would go, and would be the beginning to something bigger.
Kudos: 2





	1. A Job in Solitude

**Author's Note:**

> It begins... a bloody long endeavor into this lizards story that... I plan to have stretch across several games :'D
> 
> Ty to my friends and betas Tea and Jumpy... they may be smelly but they are very good at telling me where to make changes.

A Nord stands alone in his home, while outside a blizzard rages on. His head is reeling after finding his wife lying prone on a blood covered floor in front of their fireplace. He shuts his eyes tightly as he hears a very deliberate crash behind him. He doesn't address the new body in the room, refusing to face his would-be killer.

"Not going to beg for your life?"

He shuts his eyes, straightening up and turning his head. "Why should I have any words for the likes of you?"

The intruder is covered in dark scales, a hood pulled over her head. She flips a knife in her clawed hand and inspects the blade. "Well that's fine. I don't care either way." She rises to her feet, sheathing her blade. She begins soundlessly stepping forward.

The Nord turns fully and draws a sword, making an attempt to attack the assassin; but he quickly freezes in place, eyes wide with surprise.

The Argonian lowers her hand, the frosty hue disappearing slowly. The Nord crashes to the ground, a spike of ice protruding out of his stomach. He gasps, eyes pointed up and searching. Bright yellow eyes gaze back down at him, watching as his breath quickly slows and the life fades away. 

She turns back towards the window, where the storm rages on. She easily pries it open and leaps out into the cold night. 

She lands in the snow soundlessly, standing up straight. She can hear voices from out in the dark storm and she stands still, waiting. 

"Oi! Tiny-One!" 

"Be quiet," she snaps at the approaching Nord. He gives her a goofy grin in response, and the Argonian rolls her eyes as she trudges forward. 

"Did he give you trouble? The woman screamed like a pig." The Nord began to chat animatedly about the elimination of their target. 

The targets had been some Nord nobles from Western Skyrim. They owned an estate a fair distance from Solitude; fairly standard target for the Dark Brotherhood, and a rather simple one. The two assassins were able to get in and out without any issue. Surprisingly, they had little in the way of guards, and the Argonian had been able to take those out simply and out of sight with a quick spell. 

"No trouble," she answers. "Ugh, it's so fucking cold. How in Oblivion do you Nords live like this?"

The long haired Nord gives a booming laugh and slaps the small Argonian on the back. She wasn't expecting it, as she jerks forward and falls into the snow. 

"Oops!"

"Kor!" She sits up right away, scowling at him and shivering. He offers his hand and she begrudgingly takes it, grumbling whilst getting to her feet. She brushes off the snow, shooting him a scathing glare as she stomps forward. "Let's hurry up! I wanna get back to the inn sooner rather than later." 

"And Kor thought he was impatient!" he taunts her. The Argonian leaps forward to yank on his long tresses but he manages to get out of the way. 

"I'm not impatient! I just don't want to freeze to death, unlike you bloody Nords!" She chose to ignore his laughs continuing forward. "And be quiet! In case you've forgotten, we're supposed to be stealthy." 

Kor shakes his head, laughing and fading into a soft chuckle. "There is no one around. We will be fine. The storm is keeping everyone away."

"Maybe we should take a hint. I wanna get back to Solitude before this shit gets any worse." Tiny-One grumbles, continuing to trudge forward through the snow, with Kor following on her heels.

* * *

Tiny-One and Kor slip into the city of Solitude unnoticed. The thick snow obscuring them from sight as they make their way through the city to reach the shady inn they were staying at.

Kor pushes open the creaky door and Tiny-One slips in ahead of him, leading him up the stairs and into the room they were staying in for the evening. The Argonian pulled off her hood and gave a shiver, quickly flicking a flame at the small fireplace in the room. 

"Let's rest and head out in the morning," she began. "We've been fairly busy with contracts recently, so hopefully there’s something new by the time we’re back.” 

The Nord snorts. "Kor thinks we deserve a break. Haven't had any time to settle " 

Tiny-One scowls at her companion "Well-"

There was a tapping on the glass window of their room. Kor's hand quickly moved to the dagger at his hip and sparks began to come off Tiny-One's fingertips. There was a tapping again and a soft caw. Slowly, the two assassins began to relax. Tiny-One began walking over to the window, prying it open. A raven hops closer, before flying into the room and landing on the table. It began to peck at the table, keeping the two assassins attention on it..

Kor approached the raven while Tiny-One pulled the window closed. He removed a letter strapped to the bird's leg. 

Tiny-One walked over, watching Kor's face as he scowled, thrusting the letter out at her. She let out a snort at his pout, taking the letter with one clawed hand. She scanned through the contents and let out a hum. 

"Well. A new job already, and I don't have to put up with your racket this time." Tiny-One rolled the letter back up. The raven let out a caw and she reached a hand out to scratch the bird’s head. "Flying all the way here through this storm." She smiled softly. 

Kor heaved a sigh. "Kor will get the next one." He reached into his bag to pull out some seeds for the needy raven. "When will you leave?"

Tiny-One took a seat in the chair. "The morning. The Matron wants me to finish this job as soon as possible. It sounds like things are getting messy in Kvatch..." 

Kor nodded. "The Akatosh priests. Sounds like they are stirring up trouble. Have no worries, Kor can hold down the fort while you enjoy your contract."

Tiny-One rolled her eyes. "It's work, not a vacation, Kor. It sounds like you'll be getting plenty of fun at home dealing with that religion." 

Kor snorted. "Unless they make us hide. Kor thinks we should meet them head on but the Matron might demand differently."

"Better cautious than dead," Tiny-One pointed out. She held out her hand and the raven hopped to her wrist. Standing up she returns to the window, pulling it open again. The raven hops off with a caw, flying off into the blizzard. 

Kor leaned back into the chair. "Take the bed, Little Sister. Kor will keep watch for you." 

Tiny-One narrowed her eyes. "You also have a big day, you know."

Kor waved her off. "Kor can take a day to relax before heading home. Kor needs to grab some gifts for Hildegard before heading home anyways."

"The Matron will not take kindly to that," Tiny-One pointed out, heading over to the bed. She sat down gently. "I do appreciate the thought though." She moved, laying curled on her side. As exhaustion slowly seeped into her bones, she closed her eyes, drifting off at last.

* * *

The storm had blown over by morning, the gentle light of the sunrise filtering through the window. Tiny-One sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her boots onto her feet. She stood up, grabbing a robe and pulling it over her shoulders, obscuring her face with the hood. 

Across the room Kor stretched in the chair, crossing his arms. "Have a safe journey, little sister." 

Tiny-One looked over at him. "Have a safe trip home, Brother." She dipped her head, opening the door and slipping out.

She exited the inn, stepping out into the sunlight; the city of Solitude was slowly coming to life. Shops began to set up, with some already dealing with business. Tiny-One remained in the shadows, slowly approaching the main gate and slipping out. She approached the stable, a tired stablehand cleaning out the manure and dirty hay before business truly began. 

"Excuse me," Tiny-One began, startling the stablehand as he dropped the shovel, hastily grabbing it before spinning to look at her. She smiled at him. "I am here to pick up my mount. I left him here yesterday." 

The stablehand nodded. "Uh yea, the, uh, big bay that was boarded yesterday?" He waved her in to follow him.

"That's the one." She nodded, following him. They came deeper into the stables, stopping in front of a stall. A large bay horse snorted, the horse approaching the stall door, snuffling against Tiny-One’s shoulder. 

Tiny-One snorted, reaching into her satchel to pull out gold. She placed it in the stablehand's hand. "Thank you."

He nodded, slowly wandering off while Tiny-One began to tack the horse up. She guided the large gelding out of the stable and, once secured outside, she mounted the horse, and guided him out into Skyrim's wilderness. The sun continued its climb into the sky, and Tiny-One urged the horse into a steady gallop, heading further East in hope to reach Davon's Watch as quickly as possible.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stones Falls, and the action begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank u to my lovely friends and betas for editing this mess of a fic. This is my first foray into a huge story since I was like 9 so.... they are doing a lot of the work <3

Tiny-One sat astride her large gelding, scanning the foliage along the empty roads. She had slowed, taking a more leisurely pace the closer she got to Davon's Watch. The scenery had changed noticeably as she crossed into Dunmer territory; ash and stone littered the landscape, and large mushrooms stood tall next to rivers of lava. Tiny-One continued pushing the horse forward along the road. 

On the horizon, she could see the walls of Davon's Watch standing tall above the ashen haze. Clicking her tongue, she pushed the horse forward into a trot, picking up speed to sooner reach her destination. 

As she looked to her left, she could see the ocean, where citizens lined the shore with catapults and other equipment. Tiny-One frowned. 

_I'll have to leave before any fighting begins._ She turned her eyes away, continuing on, hoping to reach the city by midday.

* * *

Davon's Watch was bustling. People moved from stand to stand, grabbing a variety of goods as the midday sun beat down on them. Accompanying the stifling heat was an air of unease that only helped to quash the mood in the square down even further. Word of an attack from the Daggerfall Alliance was on the tip of everyone's tongues, and citizens expressed worry for what it would mean for their city.

Pushing through the crowd, Tiny-One made her way deeper into the city. Her hood was pulled up over her head, and she was able to easily slip through the crowd *unnoticed by the *citizens, preoccupied as they were by their own concerns. . She approached the inn, climbed the steps and slipped inside. 

The inn was darker, with few windows, but they succeeded in keeping the air cool with little heat making its way through the gaps. Tiny-One approached the counter and laid her gold down. 

"I'd like a room, please. Top floor?" 

The innkeeper nodded, inspecting her gold. "Aye. Top floor, to yer left. You 'ave it for a night."

She dipped her head and made her way quickly up the stairs, where she proceeded down the cobble hallways. Once she reached her designated room, she opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind her. Tiny-One couldn't settle yet, however; instead she dropped her hood and took off her robe, hanging it up on the door before smoothing out her navy feathers. Then, gathering her focus, she waved her hand as she began to set up protective wards around her room. Only once she was finished did she let out a sigh, slowly relaxing now that she was alone and out of the sun. Safe from any prying eyes or ears. 

She slipped a bag off of her arm, pulling out a book and a letter. She scowled, unfolding the letter carefully and smoothing out the edges as she scanned the page. The letter contained details of her contract; a Dunmer by the name Talvus Daryril, a seedy merchant rumoured to have dealings with slave trafficking. Tiny-One pulled out another piece of parchment, jotting down notes. Luckily for her, the Dunmer had a pattern she could take advantage of — in the morning, he would cross through the plaza on the lookout for tourists. He typically did this for several hours before disappearing outside the city walls. 

As she finished jotting her notes down, Tiny-One glanced towards the window. Hours appeared to have passed, the sun setting over the horizon. She rose to her feet, packing up her notes as she went, then slid her robe back over her shoulders and buckled it closed. 

Tiny-One made her way out of the inn and into the city. Even at night the city retained some of its energy, with Dunmer, Nord and Argonian alike taking part in what the night had to offer. She watched the people mill about before making her way toward the market district in the shadows. 

Some stalls remained open, and citizens were still stopping by to purchase equipment or armour. She could see some food stalls operating still, drunkards stopping to grab food before they were inevitably sent home or picked up by the guard.

Distracted, Tiny-One let out a grunt as she bumped into someone. She took a step back, ready to snap at whoever was standing in her way. 

In front of her stood an Imperial woman, her robes red and her hood pulled up, but her face remained visible. She began to smile pleasantly down at Tiny-One. 

"My apologies." The woman dipped her head as she spoke. "I saw you and had something to speak to you about most urgently."

Tiny-One narrowed her eyes, taking a step back. "Alright. It's fine." She glanced around, making sure the crowd wasn't paying attention. Her suspicions about the woman rose. 

"I understand you're here for… a job. I have information that may be relevant to you and would also help me. Might we speak?"

Tiny-One stiffened. She assumed she had come into the city unnoticed, but evidently, this woman knew of her presence and why she was here. She glanced around again, but no one appeared to be paying the two any mind. "Fine. Come with me." 

Tiny-One turned, slipping down an unoccupied alley and listening to the unhurried footsteps of the woman behind her as she followed suit. As they made it deeper in she spun around, hand glowing blue. "Talk, now." Tiny-One curled her lip in a snarl at the woman. 

The Imperial continued to smile pleasantly at Tiny-One, unphased by the aggression or the potential of bodily harm. "If my information is correct, you are here for Talvus Daryril. You see… my beloved niece…" Her smile faded and she raised a hand to her eyes, beginning to cry softly. "I believe…. I believe he's taken my niece." 

Tiny-One scowled, not yet lowering her guard. "Look. I feel for you, I do, but I'm not here to rescue people." 

The woman nodded. "I know… I know this but I can pay you most generously. Please, you have to save my niece. I have information that can help you…" 

Tiny-One heaved a sigh, lowering her hand and letting the magic fade. She glared at the woman. "What's the pay?"

"30,000 gold coins."

Tiny-One clicked her tongue. On one hand, Tiny-One was an assassin; she did not save lives, she only took them. The gold was an amount that could not be scoffed at though. Enough to treat Hildegard back at the Sanctuary, or to ensure some comfort for her family for a while. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Fine. Alright, so what's the information?"

The woman looked up, a smile stretched across her face. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Talvus Daryril is said to be holed up in his home in the residents quarters. There's said to be an auction soon, so he is busy preparing the goods. You should be able to strike most easily!" 

Tiny-One hummed. The information was helpful; perhaps the contract would be cleared up faster than she thought and she could return to help Kor and others back on the Coast. 

Weighing her choices, Tiny-One slowly nodded. "Fine. But I expect the gold on the safe return of your niece."

The woman nodded eagerly. "Of course! Thank you! Thank you!" 

Tiny-One moved past the woman, and made her way out of the alley. She turned back slowly. "I'll return her tomorrow."

Tiny-One quickly made her into the city again, heading back to the inn swiftly to send a note to her family and let them know she would be able to return sooner than hoped.

* * *

The morning was light, with the sun shining through the window of the inn. The sun touched Tiny-One's black scales, *their smooth surface gleaming brightly in the warm rays. Her eyes were already open, watching. Having not slept the night before, she had little to prepare for and her excursion back into the city was made in good time. The residents quarters were far away from her inn, so she made her way there steadily and with caution. 

This area of town was quiet during the day, with most people going to work or heading out to shop. Some were likely along the shore, awaiting an attack that may not occur. 

Talvus Daryril's house was small and inconspicuous. Tiny-One approached slowly, moving a nearby crate to the window. She stood on top of the crate and peered inside, but the interior was dark and she couldn't see much. She frowned, a feeling of dread beginning to build in her gut. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to focus herself — she had promised, and the sooner the job was done, the sooner she would be able to return home and relax. 

Tiny-One crept to the door, picking the lock and stepping slowly inside the shadowy abode. She looked around, stepping in further as her dread grew. Her hand slowly began to glow as she delved in deeper. The home was layered in dust and didn't appear to be occupied — not for a few years, at least. A chill ran up her spine, and suddenly, she couldn’t shake the suspicion that she had wandered directly into a trap. Her mind raced, thinking of the gold and her contract, though she took a breath to relax herself. A clatter broke the silence, and she moved forward with purpose.

In the other room, gazing up at her with wide-eyed fear, was Talvus Daryril. A cloth was wrapped over his mouth, his hands and feet tied. He kicked out in a panic, rattling the chair as he attempted to free himself. 

Tiny-One took a step back, shocked by the sight. Her heart was pounding as her fears were all but confirmed. As she began to retreat, her back abruptly hit what felt like a wall of flesh. She quickly spun to see who was behind her, before pain flashed across the back of her skull.

Tiny-One collapsed, her vision becoming foggy as she dropped to the dusty floor. Through the throbbing pain in the back of her head, she managed to gaze at the figure who now stood over her, before her world slowly faded to black.


End file.
